Of Interest
by BrollyBaggins
Summary: It's not really the rain, or the food, or the place. When things are right they just are. You just need to find the proper moment to notice it.


**This fic came like and idea that is brough to you out of...nothing. Maybe I was just tired of cliché L/J fics. Maybe I was just extremely bored and willing to write something other than UYLWYHW. Either way, it ended up written, and I'm rather proudwith the turn out. It's a two shot story, next chapter is pratically finished and just needs tweaking.**

**So here you go. Enjoy, and if you like (or don't) please review. **

* * *

**The Only Source**

The rain was heavier than it had ever been in that month of April. Lily could see the droplets of water drawing patterns on the already flooded floor outside. She sighed heavily. It was bad enough having to be alone at Hogwarts for the holidays, the rain made the atmosphere all the more depressing.

She reached across the table for her book and started flipping through it distractedly. The dank and dark ambience made it difficult for her to feel motivated to actually read, or even do anything at all. She'd spent most of her morning staring out the window at the blurred images of the Hogwarts grounds, wrapped in a thin blanket, feeling drowsy and indolent.

As she gazed vaguely into space, Lily was brought out of her reverie by the sound of someone stomping down the stairs.

James Potter emerged at the landing, looking dishevelled and uncommonly grumpy. He hadn't appeared to have noticed Lily sitting on the windowsill, because he simply slumped onto an armchair by the fire without looking at her.

"Potter?" Lily sat up awkwardly to make sure it was really him. Since when did James Potter stay at Hogwarts during the holidays?

James jumped up in shock and turned widely around. His eyes widened when he saw who it was, and he offered Lily a small smile, which she returned.

"Heya, Lily!" He walked over to her. "I didn't know you were staying for Easter."

She sighed. "Anywhere but home is good right now." And then she looked curiously at him. "I'd never heard of _you_ staying here for Easter."

He shrugged, looking suddenly uncomfortable. "There- Ah- was a short-notice change of plans." Lily frowned slightly, but decided it was not her place to push the matter.

"Is Black also here?"

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah," he sat on the windowsill opposite to her, "don't even get me started on him… bloody killjoy."

It was Lily's turn to widen her eyes. James Potter at school for Easter, James angry at Sirius, what on earth was going on?

James seemed to have noticed her bewilderment, because he added hastily. "Oh, we're not really fighting or anything, it's just a question of him giving me some space, know?"

Lily didn't. Nor did she understand what James meant by that. He opened his mouth in a second attempt to expand on his own words, but at that moment, Sirius came down the stairs. He was obviously sick, his thin nose was slightly sore, and he looked pale.

"Hey Evans." He said, ignoring James and nodding at Lily. "I didn't know you were here."

James rolled his eyes. "Padfoot, go to bed!" He said irritably.

"No I won't." Sirius said stubbornly. "Because I'm not sick!"

"Oh I think you are," James retorted, his voice sounding petulant, "because the thing you, er- 'dropped' at the foot of my bed this morning used to be in your nose."

Sirius sniffed. "You are making it up." He looked at Lily. "He's making it up."

Lily shrugged. "You look sick to me, would it be so terrible to just go upstairs and rest?"

Sirius snapped his hands together in an irritable manner. "Oh, so now you're a healer, are you Evans? That multi-talent thing is really getting to your head. Not sure it's working well."

Lily snorted. "I'm not healer; I just possess a minimal amount of insight."

Sirius opened his mouth, closed it, looking petulantly from James to Lily, before wheeling around and storming back upstairs. Lily winced at the sharp sound of him slamming the dormitory door shut.

"What a cranky individual." She muttered loosely to James. "Difficult to live with, huh?"

James chuckled and shook his head. "You come up with that just from this scene, you should try sharing a bathroom with him. I'm telling you, I should be canonized."

"That's a little unreasonable, isn't it? I mean, he is sick…"

"I know that!" James said dismissively. "What I witnessed this morning couldn't possible have come from a healthy person."

Lily giggled. He stared wonderingly at her and waved his hands, staring upwards. "I spend half my life trying to get this girl to just crack a smile in my direction. When she finally laughs, it's at my misery." He gazed mockingly at her. "I don't deserve this."

"Oh don't try and fool me, Potter. You are hardly innocent. Besides," she bit her lip, "I'm bored. You are my first source of distraction since this morning. So, miraculous as this will sound- and try not to let my intense inclination for a source of interest become a major factor here- I am actually glad you are here."

James shook his head, and then beamed at her. "Well I'm glad to be your current _source of interest_." And then he shifted slightly. "And I am thankful that the giant squid hasn't dropped by yet."

"Well," she said gleefully, "you can not deny that it would be interesting to see the giant squid trying to make his way to the Gryffindor common room…" She trailed off and sighed. "I was hoping to go outside today, you know? Get some fresh air, walk around the grounds. I hate being stuck here."

James raised his eyebrows. "Er- I'm sorry, are you in detention or is something else keeping you inside?"

She frowned at him. "Er- _no,_ I'm not in detention. And in case you haven't noticed, it's like a bloody tempest outside."

He looked slightly heartened. "What's the matter, Evans? Scared of a little rain?"

"It's not just a little rain, it's-" But she faltered and glared at him. Six years sharing a common room with James Potter were enough to give rise to her sneaking suspicion that he was up to something. During the past few months, James had proven that he could be a very sensitive individual- the sensitive James she could deal with, but the sparkle in his eye right now showed the remnants of the old mischievous James Potter, one she was never very good at handling. She pondered on her answer for a moment, and then settled for caution- she'd rather avoid yet another argument with Potter… besides, she was curious to know where the conversation was heading. "What are you getting to, James?"

He laughed.

"What?"

He shook his head. "You were just debating whether you should hex me or find out what I want. You are very inquisitive, aren't you, Lily? The prospect of finding something to do is so tempting, that you even used my first name… could I have that last phrase in writing?"

She leaned back and studied his face. "You're winding me up."

James seemed to have settled with the notion that her defences were down. "That's not really my style; I generally just cut to the chase."

"Not with me, you don't."

"Oh don't I?" He said coolly. And Lily thought she identified a slight bit of resentment in his voice. "Could 'Evans, will you go out with me?' Twenty-three times in two years have been anymore direct?"

"You counted!" Lily blushed slightly, and looked away. Okay, so he was the kind of person who got straight to the point… "Fair enough, Potter. What exactly are your plans for going outside in this weather?"

He sat up, grinning devilishly. "Well, I think putting on a jacket and walking downstairs would be a good start…"

Lily stared. "A-a jacket? That's it? Potter the ground outside is flooded with water. It'll probably be up to our ankles!"

James' grin widened. "I know. If we're lucky, it might even reach our knees in the next hour."

She was now genuinely becoming concerned about his sanity. "You can't seriously be considering going outside in this weather? We probably won't even be able to walk far before we get washed away."

"We aren't going to get washed away." James said calmly. "We are just going to get a little wet… we can stamp on the puddles, you know? It's called fun."

She stood up and crossed her arms. "I know what fun is. It doesn't require getting wet."

He bit his lip, then looked down and picked up the book she'd been flipping through before he'd arrived. "'An Enlightenment on the Art of Charm Creation.'" He read out loud. And then he stood up and handed it to her. "Sounds exhilarating, Evans. Tell you what? I'll go do my thing, and you stay here and try and finish all five hundred and seventy two pages by the time I get back. Then tonight, we'll sit down and see which of us had the most fun, alright? But you'll please let me tell you how my day went first, so that I can nap during your account."

Lily felt slightly dazed. "You think I'm boring." She said softly.

He looked positively stumped. "What? No-no, no, no. That's not what I meant-"

"Yes it was." She said, nodding. "You think I'm a dull goody two-shoes, don't you? Well I'll prove to you how… what was the word you used? _Exhilarating_ I can be. Let's go walk in the storm. I'll meet you at the Entrance Hall in five minutes."

James watched her walk up the staircase and out of sight, and then, grinning widely, made his way to the portrait hall.

* * *

"What's the point of this!" Lily said, unable to hide the impatience in her voice. She wrapped her jacket tightly around herself and stared apprehensively at the unwelcoming view that was the Hogwarts grounds.

James looked thoroughly amused. "I think getting wet is the main and only objective."

She looked disapprovingly at him, and then sat at the door of the castle, apparently plucking up to courage to actually walk into the pouring rain. "You do know we have warm showers in our dormitories for that purpose, don't you?"

James walked over and sat down beside her. "You really don't want to walk in the rain, do you?" He muttered.

"I'm kind of torn." Lily admitted.

When James spoke next, his voice sounded slightly guilty. "You don't have to Lily. I –er- I don't think you are boring, I was just winding you up-"

"I know that!" Lily interrupted. "Its just…" she waved her hand as though trying to find words to express herself. "I _was_ flipping through 'An Enlightenment on the Art of Charm Creation' before you came in. Every kid has stepped on rain puddles at least once in their lives… some twits like you- no offence-"

"- None taken-"

"-still do that. And I never have… somehow your offer was tempting. I never thought an invitation to get pneumonia could appeal to me, but it did."

James chuckled. "You aren't going to get pneumonia, Lil. Merlin, you are so prudent."

She gave him a resentful look. "Well, I saw the state your best friend was in this morning."

"Oh, yeah, but that was because I threw him in the lake. I'm not going to throw _you_ in the lake."

"You certainly will not. Actually," Lily grinned, "that wouldn't be so terrible. It's not even that cold."

He looked absolutely nonplussed. "So, you wouldn't hex my eyes out if I just suddenly slipped my arm around your waist and tossed you into the lake?"

"If you think you are going to use this as a way of tricking me into allowing you to slip your hand around my waist, Potter, you have another thing coming."

"That wasn't really what I had in mind," said James honestly, "thanks for the tip, though. Anyways, I figure we could do something else, then."

"Yeah, like what?" Lily asked, looking around the grounds, her eyes came to rest on a puddle by her shoe, and she glanced furtively at James, struck by sudden inspiration.

"Oh, I can come up with whatever you want to do. My friends and I never stay indoors during our free time… unless Remus makes us study." James smiled, glancing sideways at her, and was startled to see her standing.

"Actually, James, I changed my mind." She said earnestly, fidgeting slightly with her feet.

It was James' turn to glare suspiciously. "What do you mean, you've changed your mind? And why did you just use my first name?"

"Well, I suppose I was sort of, kind of, hoping," Lily grinned slightly, "that if I used your first name, you wouldn't be too mad at me, when I did this-"

"Did wh-?" James began, but was interrupted as Lily kicked hard at the puddle of water, splashing the side of his trousers. She giggled as he stared, dumbstruck at his drenched pants and shoes, before he looked up at her. "Oh, you are so dead, Evans."

And she just had time to glimpse his broad grin before shrieking and running out into the storm and out of his reach.


End file.
